Resilience is the ability of individuals, families, whānau1 (extended family), communities and institutions to cope and persevere through adverse conditions (e.g., a natural disaster or economic shock), and their ability to recover (‘bounce back’ or adjust to a changed post-event reality) and resume their lives. The period of adjustment and recovery may be weeks, but more often than not it is years, and in the case of Māori, resistance and perseverance has stretched across decades into centuries.

This report reflects on what I have learned from participating in a research project looking at key factors that enable individuals, whānau, communities and institutions to cope, adapt, change and progress after adverse events. The report focuses on just one component of the whole research project: the resilience of the people of Ngāti Manawa and Ngāti Whare, who live in and near Murupara, a rural village in eastern Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.